Cuomo campaign will donate all Harvey Weinstein contributions

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign will donate all contributions from Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein — totaling more than $114,000 over a decade-plus — as the movie mogul faces mounting allegations of sexual harassment and assault.

In a statement on behalf of Cuomo’s campaign, state Democratic Party Executive Director Basil Smikle said Thursday evening that the governor will take “the extraordinary step … of giving all contributions from prior campaigns whose committees have been closed for years, so that we can dispense with the Republican ploys and focus on the real issues.”

“Will Republicans accept the support of a president who himself disrespected, demeaned and harassed women?” Smikle said. “Will they support pay equity? Where do they stand on Betsy DeVos rolling back Title 9 protection for sexual assault on college campuses? Do they support Roe v Wade? These are the answers that the people of this country deserve.”

Cuomo’s campaign previously said it would donate $50,000 in political contributions from Weinstein to a women’s rights organization. But Cuomo’s total haul from Weinstein adds up to more than $114,000 in contributions since 2006, when he ran for attorney general.

Smikle’s statement came hours after Cuomo defended the decision not to get rid of all contributions from Weinstein. The governor, who had nearly $25.7 million in his campaign chest as of July, said the other money already had been spent.

Smikle said that it was “shameful that some have sought to use this matter to score political points, but the real issues are far too serious to allow any distraction to overtake them.”

Cuomo said earlier in the day that the real issue at hand “is the protection of women and the respect for women and taking action to stop discrimination and assault of women. That’s what this is really about. It’s bigger than Harvey Weinstein.”

He added, “getting into tiffs about Harvey Weinstein’s money sort of misses the point.”